SUNRISE, Fla. -- It could have been the most heartbreaking loss of Scott Clemmensen's NHL career.

Emerging as the goalie who might be capable of holding the fort for the Devils until Martin Brodeur returns some time in March from a torn tendon in his left arm, Clemmensen saw a 2-0 lead disappear in the final 2:19 of regulation time.

Not until Johnny Oduya scored after 4:04 of overtime, lifting the Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers Wednesday night at the BankAtlantic Center, could Clemmensen find an added reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving Day.

"A win makes it so much better," said the 31-year-old Clemmensen, who won his career-high fourth game of the season while the Devils extended their winning streak to five.

"You give them credit for coming out and taking it to us, but we would've liked to have seen more from ourselves in our own end."

Goals from Brian Gionta and Travis Zajac had given the Devils a 2-0 lead, but they couldn't preserve Clemmensen's shutout. Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester scored at 17:41 of the third period, cutting the deficit to a goal and setting up a frantic finish.

"He broke his stick on the shot," Clemmensen said. "It came in really slow and went through my legs. I think if he hadn't broken his stick, I would've saved it."

The Panthers pulled goalie Craig Anderson, who had replaced starter Tomas Vokoun after one period, to get an extra skater on the ice. The Devils came within 7.2 seconds of holding on before David Booth tied the game.

"The guy who made the initial shot (Stephen Weiss) was up along the boards," Clemmensen said. "I didn't see him shoot, but I felt it hit my pads. (Booth) slipped the rebound through my five hole. If I'd have seen (the initial shot), I could've controlled the rebound."

Although they had a guaranteed point, the Devils had no satisfaction at that point.

"We definitely let them back in the game. We can't be doing that," captain Jamie Langenbrunner said. "We got the two points, so we can hang our hat on that. It's disappointing we didn't close it out the way we should have, but we got the two points."

Oduya almost lost the puck, but got it back for a shot that beat Anderson 55.5 seconds away from a shootout.

"It was a two-on-one. I came down and tried to pass at first," Oduya said. "I wanted to see what the 'D' were doing and I looked up and lost it for a second. But I got it back and caught him off guard. That comeback was a big win."

The five-game winning streak is the Devils' longest since winning five in a row since Feb. 16-24 last season.

Gionta scored a power-play goal at 5:33 of the first and Zajac scored at even strength late in the period as the Devils took a 2-0 lead. Gionta's score, with 17 seconds remaining on a Kamil Kreps holding penalty, gave the right winger goals in five straight games.

Oduya carried the puck in and threw it toward the net. Gionta reached out with his stick near the left hash marks and tipped it past Vokoun. It was the seventh goal of the season for Gionta, who earlier in the day was named Hockey East's all-time top goal-scorer in conjunction with the league's 25th anniversary celebration.

"I'm honored, obviously," Gionta said. "There are a lot of great players to come through there. For sure I'm surprised."

A four-time All-American who led Boston College to four consecutive Frozen Four appearances (1998-2001), Gionta scored a league-record 83 goals in 96 career games. BC won the 2001 NCAA national championship in Gionta's senior season.

Zajac's fourth goal of the season came at 18:25. Langenbrunner fed Zajac and the center's shot from above the right hash marks went through Vokoun's legs, in what should've been a much easier win.

"We found a way to win in the end," coach Brent Sutter said. "I wasn't pleased with the last two minutes of play, but we'll learn from that. We found our way and that's important."